Drug use contributes to rise in thefts citywide

Apr. 29, 2013

engineering

Written by

Patrick O’Neill

Staff Writer

Helpful tips

To prevent break-ins, Zanesville Police Chief Eric Lambes advises residents to: • Lock up items and keep them out of view • Garages are an easy target for criminals, and should be secured the same as a home. • Lock your homes, even when you’re present. • Keep a porch light on. Criminals prefer the cover of darkness and something as small as a light can reduce the chances of theft drastically.

Report a crime

Sentencing law changed

In September 2012, the limit for petty theft was raised from $500 to $1,000, a change that Zanesville police Lt. Bill Shaw thinks has allowed criminals to become bolder in the absence of the stricter felony charge.

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ZANESVILLE — Where you live could determine how likely you are to be a victim of crime.

Your location also factors into the type of crime.

The Times Recorder examined crime statistics from the Zanesville Police Department through the first three months of the year. The data showed 112 breaking and enterings were reported south of Interstate 70 and only 28 to the north. In that same time period, 97 thefts from vehicles were reported south of I-70 and just 47 to the north.

A person living in Zanesville is 31 percent more likely to be a victim of theft or a breaking and entering than a Columbus resident and 35 percent more likely than a Newark resident, according to the most current annual crime reports for the cities.

The numbers reaffirm a long-standing demographic stereotype: People who live near or below the interstate are more susceptible to crime.

People are motivated to engage in criminal activity because they are desperate for cash to support a drug habit or addiction, said Lt. Bill Shaw with the ZPD.

“I don’t think you can actually say someone here is stealing for their survival anymore,” Shaw said. “There’s so many support structures to help people in need. It’s generally to support a habit.”

The First Ward, which covers most of the downtown area, is a particularly crime-laden area. Mark Baker, First Ward councilman, said there’s no quick fix for these sorts of crimes.

“Our ward is probably one of the most susceptible to crime,” Baker said. “There’s a cause-and-effect relationship here that can’t be ignored. If you take care of the drug problem, you’ll eliminate many of the other crimes.”

An addiction problem

The best way to combat things like thefts and home invasions might be to attack their parent crime — drug trafficking.

Muskingum Behavioral Health Director Steve Carrel said the number of people using opioids, particularly black tar heroin, is growing by leaps and bounds.

“There has been a continuous rise in addictions to painkillers over the past two years,” Carrel said. “We’re experiencing more people coming in testing positive to opioids than to marijuana.”

As emergency rooms cut back on prescription painkillers, making it tougher for addicts to get drugs, abusers are finding readily available substitutes such as heroin.

According to the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring Network, heroin in Muskingum County received a score of 10 on an availability scale of 0 for not available to 10 for extremely available.

Opioid habits are expensive. A single dose of heroin is generally $10 to $20, depending on quality. Carrel said many addicts are taking up to four doses per day.

“It’s not that long of a high,” Carrel said. “Once a person crosses over into addiction, one of the main fears is withdrawing. I tell people all the time, ‘Imagine the worst case of flu you’ve ever had and multiply it by five.’ You’re probably not going to die from it, but you’re going to feel like it.”

It’s no surprise that many of these addicts are willing to steal to feed their addiction. What might be surprising, Carrel said, is that it’s often a last resort after a long road of failed attempts to maintain a steady stream of drugs.

“I see people all the time who have been weaned off a drug, and before long, someone else in the house is complaining of pain,” he said. “We’ve had women who have sold themselves on the streets just to feed an addiction.”

The problem with opioid addiction is that most people don’t realize they have it. Carrel said most of the people at MBH are referred there by doctors, legal systems, or family members.

The good news is that people can and do recover from opioid addiction. Groups such as the Coalition for a Healthy and Drug-Free Muskingum County are working to combat drug addiction.

The coalition of 70 people operates through teams, each with a specific goal.

The workforce team focuses on healthy employee-employer relationships to detect drug use.

A health care team made up of doctors and nurses raises awareness among health care workers about the opioid and painkiller problem.

The prevention team gathers data to increase accuracy in monitoring drug trends.

Police operations

Identifying the root of the problem and working to eliminate it is a crucial step, but it’s a slow process, and it doesn’t remove the need for immediate action from law enforcement.

In 2012, 1,587 thefts were reported in Zanesville, a number that has risen by 25 percent each of the past two years. There were 303 breaking and enterings or burglaries in 2012, more than 100 higher than in Lancaster — a city with 14,000 more residents.

Directed Action Patrols, or DAP, are proactive measures to provide a police presence in high-crime areas. One full-time officer has been assigned to plan stings on various crimes throughout the city. Police Chief Eric Lambes said there are weekly DAP meetings to ensure the most current problems are being addressed.

Continued complaints regarding thefts from Walmart led to a DAP there March 19 and the arrest of two shoplifters. Three days later, a prostitution sting near Chaps Run Park resulted in the arrest of five women. Most notably, DAP assisted in the apprehension of a seven-robbery suspect earlier this month.

Police Capt. Tony Coury has outlined more than half a dozen areas selected for current patrols. Prostitution, thefts, parking, panhandling, and car break-ins are all slated for DAP.

None of the city council members contacted for this report offered concrete advice on how they planned to combat crime in their respective ward. Communication and awareness were the resounding themes they offered.

Connie Norman is the councilwoman for the Third Ward, a high-crime area that includes the Ridge Avenue area. She also is the vice president of Community of Voices, a neighborhood outreach group that works to deter crime among youth.

Norman said the group has hosted children’s basketball tournaments and family luncheons to help people understand the reasons these crimes occur.

The crime and violence committee is another initiative in the city.

“The committee is a liaison between the police department and the people,” Norman said. “It lets police know if people have called and reported a drug house. Things like that. It’s more about making people aware and understanding what’s going on if we don’t have enough police officers.”

Baker urged people to report things to police before they become a problem.

“I’d like to see better communication between our residents and police,” Baker said. “People need to report things sooner.”

Grant Hutcheson, Second Ward councilman, said the problem should be addressed by stricter penalties. Sentencing laws, however, are set by the state, not the city.

“When we catch people for things like misdemeanor theft, we need to strengthen those penalties for repeat offenders,” Hutcheson said. “We know it’s a problem. People know the penalties they’re facing.”